Free personal development Lesson plans

The Most Important Personal Development Lesson I Ever Learned

I’ll never forget this piece of advice I was given very early in my career – we are responsible for our own personal development; no one else can do it for you. Other people might contribute to the process, but it is up to you to ensure that you are growing, learning, and becoming better each day. It is YOUR responsibility to seek out resources, ask questions, and find inspiration.

You may have the opportunity to attend training sessions throughout the year (good for you!), but development is more than just about perfect attendance. It’s about using and applying what you learn day in and day out.

You know the saying, “Dress for the job you want, not the one you have?” Well it works with personal development, too. Envision the person you strive to be, and then start acting like that person!

A few years ago in a previous job I led the development initiatives for the leadership team of that company. There was one person in particular that did not get this concept in the slightest. I can guarantee that there were multiple development opportunities put in front of him: one-on-one mentoring programs, leadership development tracks, personal development planning programs, team building days, conferences and classes, on-demand videos, an unlimited supply of free books! And yet he never got anywhere and maintained his bad habits. He always complained about the opportunities given to others and insisted that he was more deserving but no one would take a chance on him. The truth was, no one WOULD take a chance on him because his actions never matched his words.

We’re past the initial push for new year’s resolutions, but I encourage you to make professional development one of your focuses this year. Personal development is the equivalent of character development in any story. Just think about it- a story without good character development reads flat and tends to be disengaging. It might have its interesting moments, but doesn’t make much of a point overall.